# Peace Corps: Spreading Peace or 'Study-Abroad' program?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/peace-corps-spreading-peace-or-study-abroad-program/581524>\
**Category:** Great Debates\
**Created:** [May 11, 2011, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/peace-corps-spreading-peace-or-study-abroad-program/581524 "2011-05-11T14:57:37Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 3

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**Author:** ![Le\_Jacquelope](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Le\_Jacquelope](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Le_Jacquelope)\
**Post date:** [May 13, 2011, 8:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/peace-corps-spreading-peace-or-study-abroad-program/581524/41 "2011-05-13T08:11:18Z")

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> [@even\_sven](#):
>
> Returned Peace Corps volunteer here (keep in mind I am speaking for myself personally, and my views do not reflect Peace Corps or the US Government.)
> 
> Frankly, I find this line of thinking offensive and degrading.
> 
> You are absolutely right that being a Peace Corps volunteer (PCV) is not exceptionally safe. We live in extremely poor places, and we are obviously much richer than most people in our communities. Our unfamiliarity with the culture also makes us easy targets. Living in a remote, impoverished place brings with it some natural risks. Now, I think you can easily find that level of risk in the US- you’d probably face something similar if you taught in an inner city, for example. But the risk is there and it is very real.

How far away is the PCV life from “you live among the natives and do and live as the natives do, under their rules”?

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**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\
**Post date:** [May 13, 2011, 8:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/peace-corps-spreading-peace-or-study-abroad-program/581524/42 "2011-05-13T08:39:45Z")

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Please don’t think I am making light of the very real pain these women are in. I have friends, close ones, who were raped, stabbed, threatened with guns, and more during their service. And I have my share of scars. I’m very, very close to this story.

Peace Corps volunteers are brave people. It is an often terrifying job.

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**Author:** ![Amasia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ba9def/32.png) [@Amasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amasia)\
**Post date:** [May 13, 2011, 12:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/peace-corps-spreading-peace-or-study-abroad-program/581524/43 "2011-05-13T12:05:08Z")

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> [@CitizenPained](#):
>
> At any rate, it doesn’t seem that anyone here can prove the Corp’s long-term effectiveness on anyone but some PCers themselves and yes, _some_ communities.

Hmmm- what sort of proof would you accept? You’re comparing the Peace Corps to other NGOs, so do you have anything demonstrating the long term effects of NGOs beyond a community level?

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